Miami Dolphins may be cautious with some recovering players

The NFL is a go-go-go league and if you're not getting better you're getting worse. That is why young teams put so much emphasis on getting their players on the field together and working hard at the start of training camp.

But sometimes working all the players extremely hard is extremely short-sighted.

Bodies break, my friends, so look for the Dolphins to take a more cautious approach with their more precious, proven, but breakable commodities.

That means even as running back Ronnie Brown approaches 100 percent while he continues to recover from foot (lisfranc) surgery last season, the Dolphins are not expected to expose him to every single repetitition in every single practice right away.

Yes, there will be practices Brown does it all. But there will be practices he's held back a bit to mitigate the wear on him.

Receiver Brandon Marshall is scheduled to be ready for full work at the start of training camp after his hip surgery earlier this offseason. At last check he was very close to 100 percent, if not already there. He and quarterback Chad Henne need to work together and catch up on becoming a great pitch-and-catch combination.

But trainers and coach Tony Sparano may not put pedal to the metal on Marshall's work from the very first week of practice, which begins Friday. Marshall is scheduled to practice. But how much isn't exactly clear.

Good idea?

Sure, as long as the players get their work done. The Dolphins need to come out of the gates fast this year because their early season schedule -- including at Minnesota, at Green Bay, and home games against the Jets, New England and Pittsburgh -- promises to be a killer.

So Miami must be prepared to play its best football early in the season.

But Sparano and his training staff also have to weigh the idea that to play their best football, the Dolphins cannot be walking around wounded. They need players such as Brown and Marshall at 100 percent on Sept. 12 when the regular season opens.

And that could mean being more deliberate with the work those players get starting July 30.